Playing device



April '7, i925. l1,532,625

H. R. HART PLAYING DEVICE Filed July 9, 1923 u a WR M ADL/0&3) ATTORN Patented Apr.h 7', i925.

-UNITD erin lPATET i,

PLAYING DEVICE.

Application nled July 9,

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY RmGEwnY HART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Montclair, in the State of New Jersey, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Playing Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing, forming apart hereof.

This invention relates to valves and more particularly to valves secured to the bladders of` footballs, basketballs, punching bags and other iniatable 'devices used in athletic pastimes.

In application No. 528,433 liled January 11, 1922, there ,is disclosed a valve in which the valve tube is secured in a hole in the bladder yby clamping devices to form an air-tight joint with the bladder and in which a valve cap is threaded into the end of the valve tube and has a broad flathead `rounded to conform tothe underside of the cover of the inflatable device. Devices of this nature are always' provided with a tongue adapted to close the openin in the cover through which the bladder is mserted and this tongue is formed with a holethrough which the stem of the bladder or the valve tube 'is adapted to pass for positioning the bladder within the cover and to facilitate inflation Iof the bladder. In the above mentioned application the valve tube is disclosed as passing`through the hole in the `tongue and secured thereto by means of the valve cap whichl clamps the tongue between itselfand the aforementioned clamping devices securing the tube tol the l,

bladder. It has been found in practice' that when the valve cap is removed for the 40 purpose of inflation the tube is likely to slip out of the hole in the tongue due to the partially deiated bladder changing its position within the cover. The present invention seeks to provide means for securing the valve tube to the tongue independently of the valve cap so that the tube wlll 'always be maintained in place and the bladder never shift from its proper position in the cover. Accordingly zin-'additional Aclamping member is provided which is adjustable with respect to the valve tube and is adapted to clamp the tonguebetween itself and the clamping devices gripping the bladder so that the u tube is always maintained in the hole in 1923. Serial N0. 650,537.

lation between the bladder, the valve tube and the cover, and taken on the plane indicated by the line 2 2 in Fig. 1 andA look s ing in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 shows in perspective 'the valve tube with the clamping nut and washer by which it is united with the bladder, the clamping nut by which it is united to the tongue of the cover and the valve cap. yAs indicated in Figure 2, the bladder a. is of the form .illustrated in the aforementioned application and formed with a plain hole a therein of such dimensions as to receive the upper threaded end b of the valvetube b. The end of the stem of the valve is indicated at c. The tube b carries a rimmed flange b2 which, when the valve tube is in place, lies against the inner wall of the bladder a immediately around the hole a.

. A slightly iexible washer d of metal or other suitable material is adapted to iit down over therthreaded end b of the valve ,tube and overlie the outer surface of the bladder a immediately around the hole a".

This washer d may also be formed with a f rim d for enga ement with the yielding rubber of the b adder a. The clamping means Iis found in nut e which vis threaded down -on to the end b of the tube to lie against washer i and squeeze the rubber between the flange b and washer d to form mechanically an airtight joint. Holes e may be formed in the nut e for engagement by a Spanner wrench. In inserting a bladder having a valve tube of this nature in a football the bladder is inserted in a deflated condition in the cover f. The opening f in the cover is closed by a tongue f2 carried with the cover andpreferably having a lining f3 of felt or like material. This tongue is formed with a hole i* throughv4 which the valve tube is ada ted to'project. In order to maintain Vthe bladder in pro er position in the cover with the valve tu e protruding through the hole f4, means is provided on the valve tube to engage the tongue immediately around the hole. For this purpose a nut g is threaded over the end In". of tube b and 'Y clamps the tongue be twn itself and the nut e andwasher (i. Holes g ma be formed in the nut g for engagement y a'spanner wrench. It will be noticed that the threaded end b of the valveV tube b is made as shortas can be for the purpose intended, that is teVV say it is only long enough to ermit the nut g to be threaded down to c amp the tongue on the nut e at which time the top surface ofthe nut g is about flush with the end of the threaded section b. This relation is, of course, all in the interest of compactnessso Ythat no undue bulging of the ball at this point Will result.

The threaded end b is threaded interiorly also, as at b3 Vto receive the stem l1. of' a valve cap h whose end/t2 is: formed broad and at but preferably slightly spherical so that when threaded down into the end of the valve stem 'it will add little in thickness to the devices protruding abovethe upper surface of the bladder a and its spherical finish Will materially facilitate the lacing of the covery f over it, the edges of the cover adjacent the laced opening being adapted to ride up the spherical head h2 and bear thereon. A transverse slot .7a3-

may be provided in the head for engagement by a coin or tool to assist in screwing the cap home.

-a flange to engage one side of the bladder V in proximity to the opening, the portion .form an airtight union', the threaded y of the tube adapted to extend through the .engage the inner side of the bladder ada rimmed Washerv jacent the o ning,

through which'the threaded portion of the l tube extends lying over the outer-side of the bladder adjacent the opening, aV clamping nut threaded on to thetube and forcing the rimmed Washer against the bladder to squeeze the latter against the flange and or? tion of the valve Itube extending throlilgh the opening in the cover anda clamping nut threadedon. to the tube and clamping the cover against the first mentioned clamping nut to retain` the bladder in proper position in the cover.

3. In an inflatabledevice, in combination with a cover having an apertured tongue and a bladder having a hole therein, a valve tube extending through the hole in the bladder and the aperture in the tongue, relatively, movable devices associated with the valve tube 'to' squeeze the rubber between the devices and clamp the tube in place with an'airtight union, and other `relatively movable devices associated with the valve tube to clamp the tongue on to the first mentioned clamping devices to maintain the bladder in proper position in the cover, said last mentioned clamping devices lying nearly flush with the end ofthe valve tube, when in place, Aand a metal valve cap threaded into the end of the valve tube and having a broad flat head shaped spherically to lieunder the cover.

This specification signed this 3d day of July A. D. 1923.

HENRY RIDGEWAY HART. 

